By Bryan Redeker<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now for the really fun part and the segment we can’t show you pictures of. After the simulator, we headed over the headquarters of SVT. For those of you that don’t know what SVT is? Here is a quick lesson. SVT stands for Special Vehicle Team, and are responsible for making all the stuff the enthusiasts want to drive. Their first creation was the 1993 Cobra and Lightning. They also produced a limited run of Cobra R Mustang’s in 1993 for dedicated track use. From there, they continued to build Cobra’s on the SN95 platform, Contours, Focuses, and Lightnings. Currently, they build the very quick GT500 and the Baja inspired Raptor truck. SVT is kind of like Kelly Johnson’s Skunk Works, in that is a small team of people working on some very cool stuff away from what the mainstream is doing. If it has the letters SVT on it, you know it is going to be good!<\/p>\n
Trying to find SVT is hard; the headquarters is in a very plain looking building away from the rest of Ford’s campus. Parked out front is a number of GT500’s, Raptor’s, Lincoln’s, a couple of WRX’s, and a white Fiesta 5-door hatchback. Walking inside, the building looks just like any office building, except there is a Ford GT engine at the end of the hallway. Brandon and I met Patrick Hespen, who would be our tour guide. The building is split in two, with one side bearing the name Roush, and the other side is SVT. Walking into SVT will take your breathe away. Tall cubical walls line the office perimeter, while every wall is blanketed with Ford Racing posters. An entire wall is dedicated to the pinnacle of Ford Racing. Pictures of the Ford GT40’s at leMans, 427 Cobra’s, and Shelby Mustangs from the 60’s reminds the team of when Ford stood on top of the motorsports world. It wasn’t Ferrari, it was the blue oval. In front of the receptionists desk, sitting in a glass case, is the natural carbon fibre Ford GT wind tunnel test car. Down the hall from that is the 6.0L V12 GT90 engine, 4.6L DOHC Cobra engine, and Brandon’s favorite, the 2.5L DOHC Contour engine.<\/p>\n
Once inside the cubical walls, it looks just like my bedroom when I was a teen. Car posters, racing posters, die cast cars, and tons of parts line every office. Wheels, struts, engine components, gears, springs, broken stuff, test samples, and prototypes were stuffed everywhere. I felt like I was a kid again with all of this stuff around. Seeing all of the racing posters on the cubical walls made me feel good. These people are car people! They are just like me, and maybe that is why everything they make is what I want. One wall had a collection of articles taken from magazines begging Ford to bring over the Focus RS and other European Ford’s. They even have a wall dedicated to the SVT Focus, Focus R concept, and RS. Walking thru SVT renewed my faith that Ford still keeps motorsports a big part of what they do. For me, motorsports is what makes me want to buy a product. I don’t care for “green” labels, I care about proving your engineering skills in the heat of competition. That is what makes great cars and trucks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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